Carnival Films to launch a Downton Abbey clothing line

Do you dream of having Lady Mary’s class and style? Are you in love with her empire-silhouette silk dresses and her shinny pearls? NBC, owner of Carnival Films, Downton Abbey’s production company, just announced that they plan on releasing a clothing line inspired by the Edwardian costumes from the show.

Explaining why it’s taken so long to launch an official merchandise line, Gareth Neame, executive producer of Downton Abbeysaid, “It’s very rare for a British drama to have this much retail potential and merchandising value.” He also pointed out that we can expect an entire range of products coming out next year “from fashion and apparel to homeware and furniture to wallpapers, beauty products and stationary.”

According to Neame, up until now, the merchandise for the show had been relatively limited, since the show had only recently become popular enough to appeal to merchandisers. In any case, some of the products, such as books and music albums, have been available since 2012, but the production and distribution of complex products take longer and we can expect new products within the next year.